[ad_1]
Countries will meet Monday at the UN in Geneva to review Saudi Arabia's rights record, which faces a torrent of international condemnation following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The half-day public debate before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes just over a month after the assassination of the Royal Insider. became a critic at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.
The Turkish public prosecutor confirmed Wednesday for the first time that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate on October 2 as part of a planned attack. His body was then dismembered and destroyed.
The assassination severely strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States and other Western countries and tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the kingdom.
The so-called Universal Periodic Review on Monday – that all 193 UN countries must undergo about every four years – should also focus on Saudi Arabia's role in the brutal civil war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war in 2015 to support Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed rebels seized control of the capital Sana'a.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 10,000 people were killed in the conflict and a group of UN experts accused both the Huthis and the coalition led by the 39; Saudi Arabia acts likely to constitute war crimes.
The conflict has also created the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world and left millions on the brink of starvation, according to the UN.
Washington, which has long supported the Saudi-led coalition, last week called for an end to the coalition's airstrikes in the country.
– End of the 'deafening silence & # 39; –
The Saudi delegation in Geneva will be led Monday by Bandar Al Aiban, who heads the country's Human Rights Commission.
The delegation will report on the country's efforts to meet its international human rights obligations and respond to questions and comments from countries around the world.
Activists urge countries not to back down.
"UN Member States must end their deafening silence on Saudi Arabia and fulfill their duty to control cruelty in the kingdom in order to prevent further scandalous violations of human rights." in the country and in Yemen, "said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Campaign Director for the Middle East. , said in a statement.
"The crackdown on long-standing criticism by the Saudi government, exemplified by the extrajudicial execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month, has been deliberately ignored until recently by the UN member states" she added.
A number of countries have already submitted detailed question lists for review, including direct questions from Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland on the Khashoggi case. .
At the same time, Sweden plans to ask: "What measures will be taken to improve respect for freedom of expression and the safety of journalists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?"
And the United States has asked whether Riyadh is considering amending its anti-terrorism law to ensure that the definition of "terrorism" does not include "acts of expression, association, or peaceful meeting ".
In the run-up to the UPR, the UN human rights office released a report in late August listing various concerns over Saudi Arabia's record of rights, including laws. discriminatory against women.
The UN report also denounces the continued use of the death penalty and a growing number of executions in the country, and is worried about an anti-terrorism law that uses a definition " extremely broad "terrorism permitting" the criminalization of certain acts of peaceful expression. "
The assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi caused an international outcry
UN calls Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world
